Webtoons are among the most popular forms of entertainment in Korea as they can be enjoyed quickly and conveniently through our smartphones.
In a bid to boost global interest in the artform which has spawned hugely successful TV shows and movies, Korean artists have taken their work to France.
Cho Sungmin reports.
Webtoon, a contemporary art form conceived and developed in Korea was featured in an exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris.
The event was launched to highlight the positive attributes of webtoons and to offer local cartoon enthusiasts the chance to experience artworks on PCs and mobile phones.
"Since webtoon was born in Korea, I feel it is my duty to promote it not only to the French audience, but also to the rest of the world."
To commemorate and embrace the notion of unity ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a booth with more than 50 artworks was set up at the exhibition hall to demonstrate the multifaceted possibilities that webtoons offer to convey a message in endless forms.
"There is something special about this form of art, and I feel it can easily bring down cultural barriers and become widely accepted globally."
As it could be directly defined by the word itself...webtoons are comics published online, which was first introduced in 2003 by the Korean internet portal Daum.
What makes webtoon stand out from other artforms is its accessibility.
People can enjoy webtoons anywhere and anytime as long as they are connected to the internet via a PC or smartphone.
Moreover, webtoons are becoming sources for successful TV dramas and blockbusters, such as 'Train to Busan' which made waves in many countries.
Korean webtoons are set to receive more international spotlight in the near future, as the genre is being lauded as an optimal platform to further spread hallyu or the Korean wave around the world.
Cho Sung-min, arirang news.
